Metro Grand

Sunday was a good day for bicycling. There was sun and the temperatures reached into the 60's. It was a good day for the Metro Grand. I registered on the day of the ride and I wasn't alone. The one year I signed up early it was 43 degrees and raining. Some people rode anyway (not me). They looked like textbook examples of hypothermia. But not this Sunday. Because of construction the route had to go west inland instead of east to Lake Erie. We rode thru New Boston, Romulus (no, not by the airport), Belleville, and Ypsilanti Township. I now know where the Rawsonville Ford plant is. What I remember about past Metro Grands is how bad Huron River Drive is and the number of railroad tracks. Yesterday there were only two sets of railroad tracks which we crossed twice, once on the way out and once on the way back. And I found out that Huron River Drive is just as bad going west as it is going east.

The most I had ridden this year before Sunday was 30 miles. The most Judy had ridden was 24 miles. We rode 47 miles. Fortunately it was pretty flat and the winds weren't too bad (10 mph) but still we were tired by the end. Actually I was tired half way thru, Judy was OK. Thank God for SAG stops and cookies. You know, when you're tired you don't notice the route much and it's not as much fun. You just look at the road about 10 feet in front of your bike and try not to think about how far you still have to go. This is not the position you want to be in for the PALM. PALM is meant to be enjoyed. You are on vacation and touring Michigan by bike. My advice would be to be in better shape than I am now when you do PALM. I plan to be.

A little garden update: my radishes are up. I took heart and planted some beets and turnips after the bike ride. I should develop a garden plan. Mostly I look at the open ground, look at the seeds I have, pick out one I want, and plant a row. Zen gardening. I'm getting a little better: I try not to plant the same plants in the same place, especially tomatoes and greens, and I try to avoid the shadow of the tree that's beside my garden. This year's experiment will be putting a raised bed behind my garage where there used to be an alley. Putting together the raised bed involved a hand drill and took me a couple of hours. My sister the graphics artist probably could have done it in 15 minutes.

Hot Weather Training

After last weekend I think I'm ready to ride in the summer. I got to ride three times when the temperature was in the 80's. I learned to sweat and I emptied two large water bottles while riding 25 miles. I still can't sit on a bicycle seat but I can stay hydrated. The other thing I am ready for is wind. I don't think I've done a ride yet where I didn't have to buck a 20 MPH headwind. And last week I caught in the rain on my bike. I got one 30 mile ride in which is good since the Metro Grand is this Sunday and I want to ride 45 miles. I should be a tired puppy come Sunday afternoon even without wind.

Just a reminder: if you have registered for PALM and want to add meals and/or bus rides, you have only until May 15 to do so. If you want to add/change meals and/or bus rides, download an application from the website, fill in your name and address (and your rider number if you can find it), the meals and/or bus rides you want, mail it to the PALM address (PALM; PO Box 7161; Ann Arbor, MI 48107) with a check for the correct amount and a stamped self addressed envelope. You don't have to sign the waiver or pick a t shirt size or include an emergency contact or anything else. We have a May 15 deadline because we have to let the bus company and the sites know the number of people well in advance. There are more people taking the bus on June 20 to the start than ever before. We are going to have 6 buses, over 280 riders. It's going to look like a wagon train.

April is the Cruelest Month

I like the way Michigan flip flops months. March was mild. All the snow melted and we had several days where we could ride. Of course, since March is winter, any day you could ride stands out. But the ground was bare and I don't remember any snow. April has been different. Even though it was spring we had a major snow storm and then snow flurries on Easter. While the Tigers have been trying to play baseball, the weather hasn't made it out of the 40's. Decidedly not biking weather.

The Metro Grand is on May 3. It's going to be a scramble to be in shape to ride 45 miles and forget about 62 miles. There is going to be a new route for this year's Metro Grand. We'll be going west instead of east. This will mean that we won't be seeing Lake Erie, but it also means that we won't be riding on the potholes of Huron Valley Drive and I've been promised that there will be fewer railroad tracks on the route. Maybe this year we will have a tail wind on the second half of the route.

I'm going to try to ride tomorrow. I'm getting a crown put in but it is supposed to reach 60 and be sunny. Hope springs eternal. If worse comes to worse, at least I can pick up my cold crop plants that I'm getting from the Garden Resource Program for my garden. I still haven't done anything with my plot yet, but then again the plants haven't been harden off either.